During the summer, it’s too hot to cook anything indoors, so like many of you, we cook everything on the grill outside all summer long! And in our household, we are big fans of smoking meat, whether in a smoker, in a Traeger or even smoked on the barbecue.
What we love most about this smoked salmon recipe is that there are very few ingredients needed that you don’t already have in your pantry (bonus points if you already have Spragg’s Meat Shop salmon stocked in your freezer). With a bit of time for prep work, it’s super easy to make, and your entire family will love it!
Let’s spark up the smoker, put on our grilling aprons and try this delicious smoked salmon recipe, courtesy of Traeger Grills:
Author: Traeger Kitchen of Traeger Grills
Skill Level: Easy
Servings: 6 people
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cure time: 4-6 hours + drying overnight
Cook Time: 3-4 hours
Total Time: 8-10 hours and 15 minutes + overnight
Ingredients:
1 (2.5 to 3 lb) salmon fillet (You can grab this from our Meat Shop!)
1/2 cup of salt
1 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed
1 TBSP of ground black pepper
Alder pellets
Instructions:
Remove any bones from salmon.
In a small bowl, combine the salt, brown sugar and black pepper.
On a large piece of plastic wrap that is at least 6 inches longer than the salmon, spread half of the seasoning mix and lay the salmon skin-side down on top. Then add the other half of the seasoning mixture evenly over the top of the salmon. Then wrap the plastic wrap tightly around the fish.
Place the tightly wrapped salmon in the bottom of a baking dish and place an identical pan or similar flat surface on top. If you need additional weight, place cans or other heavy items evenly distributed in the top pan.
Place the weighted salmon in the fridge to cure for 4 to 6 hours.
Remove the salmon from the plastic wrap and rinse the cure thoroughly (no need to be gentle here. If you don’t rinse thoroughly enough, it will be a very salty dish).
Place the salmon skin-side down on a wire rack on a sheet tray and pat dry with paper towel. Place the sheet tray in the frige and let the salmon dry overnight. (This drying helps the smoke adhere to the salmon when cooking).
When you are ready to cook, set the grill temperature to 180℉ and preheat with the lid closed for 15 minutes.
When the grill is hot, place the salmon skin-side down directly on the grill and smoke for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature of the fish is 140℉.
Serve either warm or chilled with buttery green beans, roasted potato wedges, or rice!
TIP: If you don’t have a Traeger, any other wood-fired grill or pellet smoker will do the job just the same. Just be sure to keep an eye on the salmon depending on the cooking method that you are using.
Come into our meat shop in Rosemary or Calgary, or stop by our two booths at the Calgary Farmers’ Market to pick up the best local foods Alberta has to offer, including our Canadian, sustainably farmed salmon!
We are fully open for business, however, if you are not ready to resume shopping in-store, we are more than happy to take curb-side pick-up orders and credit card payments over the phone. Check out our website and call us today.
SPRAGG’S MEAT SHOP CALGARY
9675 Macleod Trail SE
Calgary, AB, T2J 0P6
P: 403.255.1232
E: calgarystore@spraggsmeatshop.com
SPRAGG’S MEAT SHOP ROSEMARY
438 Centre St
Rosemary, AB, T0J 2W0
P: 403.378.3800
E: meatshop@spraggsmeatshop.com